Namibia

I am now in Namibia, after having spent way more time at Augrabies than I expected. It was an amazing place, with great people, and a spectacular canyon. In my opinion, the canyon is very much under-utilized in terms of recreation. There are amazing areas where hiking trails could be added and canyoneering routes could be established. In some way the national park there reminds me of the same old national park formula where they expect you to drive in, walk to the vista, drive through the game park and then leave. It is not set up to spend time exploring, nor does the park staff encourage it. Nevertheless, I did get out and wander around a bit. I wish I could share photos, but the USB connection here at the internet place doesn't have any that work (or something like that - although English is the official language of Namibia and I am in the capital, people don't speak too much of it).

I'll try to post some later, because I am not sure that my words of Augrabies canyon can do it justice. As for now, I am arranging transport to Fish River Canyon, and trying to settle back into a city, which is a bit challenging after being in the desert under a blanket of brilliant stars. But, it was time to move on to the reason why I am in this area in the first place (Fish River Canyon). I figure that I also need to spend some time reflecting on Augrabies and all the social, economic, and political issues I saw. All the issues left me with a hard question that I am not yet sure how to answer: what can I contribute and what do I have to offer? I am sure those are questions I will continue to ask, and perhaps answer without necessarily knowing. But, as they say, we'll burn that bridge when we get there.